April 21

Just the other day, EV Grieve reader Riian submitted a fine entry ... However, some of you vicious bastards people weren't impressed since the thing was in a pot.

So, Riian strikes again on Sixth Street between Avenue A and Avenue B...

This should certainly please the judges, though as a neutral observer, I cannot speak for the International Coalition of Tree Tossing in the Spring (ICTTS). Via text, ICTTS spokesperson Gruber MacDougal, currently in London preparing for the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, wrote, "Hi Grieve. TY 4t note. We'll ck out this Ntry. meanwyl, mrry xmas in April."

Today in big dogs in Tompkins Square Park

Whoa, Nellie.

Car crash on Avenue B and 12th Street

Per EV Grieve reader Meredith at 4:41 p.m.:

"Crowd is gathering. Cops, fire dept, and 2 ambulances."

Updated 6:20. One of the vehicles took out the fence here on the corner of 12th and B. We're still waiting word about injuries. One witness told us "it was really bad."

Mars Bar practices being high-end housing

Previously.

How the East Village died, Exhibit No. 3,745a

A four-bedroom apartment at 120 St. Mark's Place hit the market on April 11, according to StreetEasy. By yesterday, the apartment — listed at $4,600 — was rented. We'll come back to this.

Anyway, 120 St. Mark's Place was previously home to the Mosiac Man.... and known as The Cave, a colony for artists. In case you're new to this story, here's what the place looked like. Bob Arihood at Neither More Nor Less has thoroughly documented this through the years. These are two of his photos.

It's a long, ugly story... so briefly, back in 2006, 120's new owner, the sledgehammer-toting developer Benjamin Shaoul, successfully booted all the folks who were squatting in the building... (This link will take you to all the history here via Neither More Nor Less...)

So how about that four-bedroom apartment...

So yes — the one-time artists' colony has become a dorm-like apartment.

And to quote Bob from one of his posts on the matter:

We are not suggesting by showing so many pictures of life at the "Cave" that the "Cave" should have remained forever un-touched at 120 Saint Marks Place. After-all 120 St. Marks Place was not a legally occuppied building and it was a bit unsafe as a structure. There were some very serious structural problems with this building.

We are just trying to show some of the loss of diversity in activities in the East Village due to the irresponsible , wild-west sort of development activity now radically changing the neighborhood forever.

And one day, perhaps 120 St.Mark's Place will even have a Certificate of Occupancy. The temporary CO expired about three years ago, per DOB records.

For more background:
St. Marks Squatters Getting the Boot (Curbed)

Rent Wars: Boy Emperor Gets In On East Village Harassment (Curbed)

Boy Developer Ben Shaoul Wants to Live Forever (The Observer)

Cave collective collects buyouts as Buildings tries to stop cave-in (The Villager)

Stop-work still in effect at former artists’ squat (The Villager)

Farewell to the East Village's Pizzeria Uno-Nathan's-Arthur Treacher's triplex

Last August, we noted that the Pizza Hut-Nathan's-Arthur Treacher's combo on the northwest corner of 14th Street and Second Avenue was for lease....

EV Grieve reader HippieChick reported last night the space (now featuring a Pizzeria Uno!) was dark...

Sure enough, the marshal paid a visit. And the triplex eatery looks mostly empty behind the counters...

Per the listing, new tenants have several options for chopping up the existing space.

Meanwhile, you'll have to travel elsewhere for your Nathan's fries...

Previously on EV Grieve:
East Village losing its Nathan's/Pizza Hut/Arthur Treacher's mashup

A matchbook made in New York

On Tuesday, Jeremiah wrote about the swizzle sticks at Sardi's (and the bar itself...) That evening, I randomly found myself in Gallagher's on 52nd Street ... I thought Gallagher's might be a candidate for swizzle sticks. No. However...

I did help myself to a matchbox, something I typically appreciate... in part, because, uh, I used to collect them. So, perhaps some slow news day, I'll break them out for a post...

Meanwhile, here are some vintage NYC restaurant matchbooks from the Matchbook Museum.

Matchbooks are also a popular subject at Lost City. Check out this link, where Brooks shares a few matchbooks from some now-shuttered 1990s-era East Village cafes and restaurants.

Dear Bill Keller:

Spotted the other day on Avenue B and Eighth Street.

A Greenmarket reminder this weekend

On Saturday this weekend ... because, of course, Sunday, April 24 is the birthday of "Caddyshack" star Michael O'Keefe. It's also Easter.

What people throw away on the Bowery now

Huuuuuuge flat-screen TVs...

The Bowery at East First Street.

It's spring, and the battleships are in full bloom

At the KenKeleba House Sculpture Garden on East Third Street. Photo by Bobby Williams.

Key Food oughta be in pictures

[Photo via @danielleintheev]

In case you were wondering, a crew is filming an independent feature called "Grand Street" right now in front of Key Food on Avenue A... Been filming hereabouts the last day or so....

NYPD slaps $270 ticket on East Village cyclist for running red light

And it happened to our very own contributor samo, who cops pulled over this morning on East First Street near Avenue A...

When the Sidewalk reopens, you'll see clean spaces, new faces

On March 1, Sidewalk on Avenue A and Sixth Street closed for renovations.

The official word: They'd be closed for six weeks.

However, six weeks have come and gone and the place doesn't seem any closer to reopening. According to several sources, the Sidewalk's liquor license lapsed. So, while management was taking care of the paperwork, they figured they'd spruce up the space too. And that turned into major renovations.

According to a former employee: "The plan as I know it is to start from scratch, new restaurant, new management, entirely new staff. None of the former staff is being hired back."

Sidewalk's long-running open mic nights on Mondays have been taking place at a Gathering of Tribes on East Third Street. As for the future of music at The Fort, the backroom of the Sidewalk ... according to a post on the Sidewalk Music blog dated March 16 from 
Ben Krieger, who has has been hosting the open mic show: "I met with management at the club last night ... they’re DEFINITELY renovating. From what I can gather the club will resemble a better/stronger/faster Sidewalk than a martini bar (sigh of relief), For now, pretty much everything that isn’t a wall has been cleared out! At the moment they’re redoing the floors and blasting the brick walls for repainting/varnishing."

You can find a few more details here at Sidewalk's Sidewalk, another site about the cafe.

For more history on the Sidewalk and the Antifolk movement:
How Does It Feel, Antifolkies, to Have a Home, Not Be Unknown? (The Times)

Folk the Pain Away (The Voice)

An interview with Lach about the Fort and Antifolk (YouTube)

First Person | At the Sidewalk Café (The Local East Village)

DBGB takes CBGB by the back door

Extra Place — home of dog walkers, skateboarders and Wonder Woman — just received a big ol' jolt of Boulud.

According to a report at The Feast, chef and restaurateur Daniel Boulud is taking over a big space in the former piss-filled alley off the Bowery:

Located at 18 Extra Place, just a block away from Boulud's sausage emporium DBGB, the commissary will supply prepped items to all of the chef's restaurants as well as create a space for "great parties," as Boulud puts it. It may also signal the chef's intent to get into the prepared food and retail space.

That's the big news here. Boulud is building the space to USDA standards, which will pave the way for a cross-country retail business. Currently, bread for all of the restaurants is baked in the catacombs of Daniel, while sausage and charcuterie is produced at Bar Boulud. With the commissary both of those operations will be moved to Extra Place. The plant is scheduled to be online by July, which could put DBGB sausage and Bar Boulud charcuterie in your house in time for Labor Day.

[Photo via The Feast]

Another building for 'single family conversion' — with air rights!

607 E. Sixth St. near First Avenue is the most recent East Village property to appear on the market. Here's the Massey Knakal listing:

A 21‘ 5” wide, 5 story multifamily walk-up apartment building. The building is approximately 5,061 sq. ft. and is currently configured with 5 apartments. The property also benefits from additional unused air rights, southern light, some original detail, and a large 37’ deep garden. As the units are all free market, making the building great single family conversion or live plus invest opportunity.

The price: $3.5 million.

And this is just the latest building to hit the market with both air rights and single-family aspirations.... such as this one on Avenue D ... this one on Avenue B ... or this one on Seventh Street ...

Something for Mister Softee

The other day on East Third Street.

Physical GraffiTea is open

... and blue...

On St. Mark's Place.

Previously.

You'll never guess what's taking the retail space at 123 Third Avenue!

Woo! Oh, and much of the sidewalk shed is down here now too on the corner of 14th Street and Third Avenue...

Previously.

Report: Graffiti artist Angel 'LA II' Ortiz is in Rikers

According to ArtNet, graffiti artist Angel "LA II" Ortiz has been a guest at Rikers for three weeks. His trial is set for April 27. Per ArtNet: "He was arrested for graffiti three times in a short period, which kicks the charges up to a felony."

Also:

"He was arrested for graffiting over the Kenny Scharf mural at Houston and Bowery Streets, and also for painting a rather large graffiti mural on the Urban Outfitters store on Second Avenue in the East Village. Ironically, LA II is an official Urban Outfitters Artist."

The LES native frequently collaborated with Keith Haring. NYC the Blog has more on Ortiz here.

[Hat tip to @marccasale]